June 19, 2007

On Friday afternoon, members of the Ramblin' Wreck Club (the group that keeps up the school's signature vehicle) were heading south of Atlanta with the Ramblin' Wreck in tow for a Wedding. The towing vehicle and the Ramblin' Wreck were both involved in an accident.

No word on whether or not Reuben Houston was the driver. One can only assume he wasn't because there was no police report discussing hundreds of pounds of weed moving south of town.(thankfully no one was hurt b/c that would've been awful...and...ruined all the humor here.)

The gist of the accident is that a wheel or axle failed on the trailer and pulled the Expedition off the road at 70mph like a giant sail. There was no warning, no fish-tailing, the truck just snapped at 90 degrees and went off the road. We hit the ditch with the Expedition perpendicular to the road. The trailer swung around, torqued the ball hitch out of the expedition, and tipped over.

The truck and trailer ended up pointing against the flow of traffic. The Wreck snapped its straps and fell onto its side. The Expedition and trailer are totaled. We picked the Wreck up from the tow truck place on Saturday and it's in my garage right now. The Wreck is in need of serious body work (I have contacted a body shop). I will get an estimate tomorrow from the body shop.

The Wreck's left side is smashed pretty good and the roof is torn and smashed. None of the windows were broken, the motor is fine, and the frame is fine.

Now...we get to the absurdity of this Part I.

The problem arises now that because of the complexity of the accident, insurance does not cover the Wreck. It was not driving so auto insurance doesn't cover it and cargo insurance does not cover automobiles. We will have to use appearance money and emergency funds to start the rebuild.

LMAO! You can insure a woman's legs, a child's smile or a kitten...and you can't insure the signature emblem of your entire athletic program?

I have spoken with [our athletic director], the Alumni Association, and you all. If anyone else knows, it's because they've called me recently or talked to a Sheriff or tow trucker in Forsyth. There are no pictures available to the public.

The best part....they are holding an ONLINE FUNDRAISER via PayPal to pay for the Car Repairs!

Where to Begin?:1. The Pictures -- the Georgia Sports Blog is now offering a $100 bounty for those pictures. If you live near this kid, know the towing company or the repair shop, then get in there and take care of business. Realistically, a Damn Good Dawg would do it for free. More realistically, I could host a counter fundraiser to the Tech Effort and raise more cash to pay for the pics than GT fans will raise to pay for the repairs. (But that's a huge hassle)

2. The Insurance -- In fairness, the car is probably ineligible for insurance. Much like many of Tech's players. If the NCAA called, I'm sure they would've told them it's all good.

3. A Fundraiser -- Why the hell isn't Tech's athletic director just stroking a check? It's THE most recognizable thing about Tech other than their effeminate mascot. I guess they could've hosted a car wash to raise cash, but they don't have a ride. Maybe a Bake Sale would work?

I wonder if Mudcat Elmore's car was in hot pursuit? Ideally, it looks like this now....

The perfect look

So...how should the Dawgnation react to the Techies in their time of need?

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comments:

I rented a U-Haul trailer, enclosed with two axles, two weeks ago. The interesting thing is printed boldly near the top of the contract was a statement saying U-Haul does not rent trailers when the towing vehicle is a Ford Explorer. I realize the towing vehicle for the wrecked Wreck was an Expedition but the same design/designer probably applies.

See, that's the danger you run when the "signature emblem of your athletic program" is an inanimate object. Very few people, even fervent rivals of the respective programs, would feel comfortable laughing about an accident in which Uga VI, Ralphie the buffalo, or Tiger the eagle got killed. (Even the EDSBS guys held a moment of silence when LSU's Mike the Tiger died a couple weeks ago.) But a car gets smeared all over the highway? Hell, nobody's going to shed too many tears over that. The pictures might even turn out to be pretty awesome.

Actually, the only people I have ever seen mock the death of a live mascot were techies.

I don't remember the year, but I remember seeing grown men laughing and mocking the death of UGA V before the UGA/Tech game that year. Lots of signs and buttoms saying "5 down, 6 to go." Typical techmites.

Also Doug, it's virtually impossible to replace the Wreck. The 1930 Model A Sport Coupe is virtually non-existent (as alumni who have tried to have their own made have discovered) and even just keeping the thing driving is a nightmare because of the lack of parts. If the Wreck was destroyed, GT would almost certainly have to get a new type of car.

It sounds calloused, but if Uga dies - there's a lot of Bulldogs still being born. (Not that I would ever wish to see a dog die, I love anything with four legs and a warm tongue).

The wreck isnt kept in home park anymore. I used to live in that neighborhood in a house owned by the same guy who owned the house the wreck was stored in. When tech renovated their stadium a few years back it got a garage there.

Oh, sweet irony...Tech fans raising money to make major repairs to something that is referred to as "The Wreck"...Seems to me the car's condition actually fits it's name now...BTW, Who was driving? Reggie Ball? He probably saw a sign that read, "Georgia Line Ahead" and reacted accordingly...

You Dawgs fans are absolutely classless. Poking fun of what could have been a serious incident? I'm sure you'd all be up in arms if I made fun of UGA catching a tic (that is, when he doesn't leave his ice palace during football games). We waste money? Don't y'all spend thousands of dollars each year to trim the stadium's bushes (and then go apeshit when a few get snapped off?) I mean - they grow back right???

Northside Towing LLC Atlanta offers FULLY INSURED towing services to the metro Atlanta area...what would appear to be costly for a professional service can really turn out to be a real savings in the end.